Word for Word

“You can’t be honest. I didn’t want to answer questions, even to say what my weekend plans were.”
– Maj. Margaret Witt, a lesbian, who was discharged from the army in 2007 under its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. (The New York Times)
“I won’t go out. I’ll send people to shop for me. I’ll…

“But as friends, as Jews, we want to tell you that you are going down a wrong path.”
– A petition signed by a group of over 3,000 European Jews addressed to Israel. The group, known as JCall, considers the Israeli occupation and settlements in the Palestinian territories morally and politically wrong. (Al Jazeera)
“Just…

“People hate the international forces.”
– Bakhtialy, an Afghan tribal elder, on the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan. A number of Afghan civilians have been killed recently by military convoys at NATO and American checkpoints or in bungled Special Operations raids. (The New York Times)
“We spoke: ‘Ah! You! We made an agreement yesterday. Why do…

“How can anyone call them human beings? They are beasts who are killing people. The government should finish them off once and for all.”
– Jabbar Ali, a Pakistani man whose leg was wounded in a suicide bombing at a center for refugees displaced by a Pakistani military offensive against militants. The attack killed 38…

Police Mentor Team Viper, made up of U.S. Army soldiers and members of the Afghan National Police force. Pfc. Matthew Hoyt is in the top row, third from the left. PMT Viper was stationed in Shar-E-Shafa, where it trained Afghan recruits for the Afghan National Police force.
CN: What is your perception of the Afghan…